What’s the Buzz on Bees?

Honey bees are in trouble and fifth graders in the Minneapolis public school’s S.T.E.M. program are learning what to do to help them. Honey bees are the most viable indicators of a global threat to our food security. The bees play a major role in our food system and agriculture depends greatly on the honeybee for pollination of fruits and vegetables but due to their loss of habitat, our methods of agriculture, and use of pesticides, the honey bee is in trouble.

Minnesota 2020 headed to the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum to learn more about bees and what humans can do to help. As we learn, one way is to simply plant different types of flowers.

I have been planting things that attract bees. I get lots of them with apple mint, honey suckle, and, of all things, thistle. The thistle no longer attracts them after the blooms turn into those little sticklers, but the mint and the honey suckle are still going strong.